


Loyal Customer

by Aero_Erin



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Coffeeshop AU, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 06:30:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14910125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aero_Erin/pseuds/Aero_Erin
Summary: Yuya has a temporary contract working at his on campus coffee shop to try and earn money for his theatre program and he can't say that he's enjoying it. That is, until a sleepy, yet adorable man walks in and catches his attention.





	Loyal Customer

It had been a particularly long and hectic day at the on-campus coffee shop where Sakaki Yuya currently worked. The normally warm, inviting interior felt extra hot from all the steam spouting from the different machines and from the steady flow of students that were coming in en masse.

It was exam season and coffee was a must for those long hours of studying, which, of course, meant for an extremely busy shift. Well, _week_ was more accurate. He'd thought busy days were supposed to make the time fly by, but for him, it didn't feel like it. Yuya's feet were _killing him_ from the mix of running around and long hours standing at the til.

He was exhausted. Sure, he was a high energy person, but this wasn't even _fun_! He was so worn out, he was just begging for his shift to end. At this point, he felt like he was on autopilot as he took orders, asking the same questions over and _over_ again.

Yuya punched in the next order as it was recited to him; a coffee with one milk. At least this was an easy one.

“Can I get your name?” he asked for the millionth time that day.

“Yuto,” the customer replied, “And you are?”

The young barista stopped when he was doing. He looked up from the side of the cup he was currently writing on, caught off guard by the question from the rather tired looking male in front of him.

Said male seemed to realize his mistake pretty quickly as well, his face dusting what could only be described as an adorable shade of pink, his eyes widening a bit.

“Ah, no, I'm sorry. Forget it.” he waved his hands in front of him. “Just... tired. Haven't had... my uh.. coffee... yet...” he scrambled, awkwardness from his mistake seeping into every word as he sheepishly sort of half pointed to the cup in Yuya's hot little hand.

Yuya couldn't help it, his tired features cracked into a silly giggle, that one instance breaking through his current grumpiness. Of course, only for a moment or two before turning, practically twirled actually, on his heel away from the customer, feeling his mood restored.

“Okay, Yuto. One coffee with one milk coming right up,” he hummed, as he made his way to the machine to prepare the fairly simple order.

When he handed the cup to the rather embarrassed looking student, he got a quiet, “Thank you,” in return before they turned to awkwardly shuffle away from him.

Yuya considered something for just a moment before he placed his hands on the counter to lift himself a little off the ground.

“My name is Yuya by the way!” he called, earning the sudden attention of the other male(as well as a few other coffee shop patrons). “Please come again!!” he gave him is brightest smile.

It was Yuto's turn to be stunned this time, though it only lasted a most before he gave him a small smile and a shy nod, turning to go back on his way.

Genuinely... for whatever reason, Yuya did hope he'd see him again.

 

* * *

 

“It's ridiculous! Outrageous! Unheard of! I can't _believe_ I'm living this utterly atrocious _nightmare_!!”

Yuya leaned against the broom he had been using to tidy up, his fingers laced on top and his chin rested on top of them. He gave a sort of half-hearted grin to his rather ruffled companion.

“Come on, Sawatari... We've been working here for over a month... Aren't you used to it by now...?” he asked, almost a little tired of this conversation himself.

Sawatari scoffed. “ _No!_ How could I _ever!_? Someone like _me_ doesn't belong in a place like _this_!! 'Builds character' he said. Ridiculous!! What's the point of being rich if you can't even use it!? Why should I have to work at a coffee shop!?” he continued to rant, throwing his arms into the air.

Yuya sighed and shook his head. “I don't know if I would call what you're doing right now 'working'...” he pointed out.

“Hey! I'm taking a moment to recover from a workplace _tragedy_ that just occurred! It's an utter shock I didn't just go home!” the brunette continued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yuya shifted his weight to his other foot. “Tragedy? We started at the same time today and I didn't see anything. What happened?” he asked.

“This!!” Sawatari pointed to the collar of his white button up that peeked up from beneath his apron.

Yuya raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“ _This!!_ Look closer!!”

The young barista leaned the broom against the counter and stepped closer to his co-worker, finally spotting what he was pointing at. “Syrup?” he questioned.

“Yes!! Syrup!! On _my shirt_!! My _expensive_ shirt!! This is going to _stain,_ Yuya!!” Sawatari moaned, placing the back of his hand against his forehead, leaning back a bit. “A tragedy!”

Yuya sighed and put his hands on his hips. “If you're so worried about that, why don't you wear less fancy things to work?” he reasoned logically.

Sawatari looked at him, stunned into silence for a moment before he placed his hands on Yuya's shoulders, a sympathetic expression on his face. “Yuya... you sweet summer child... I sometimes forget how naive you are.”

He swatted Sawatari's hands off his shoulders. “I'm going to the back to get more syrup since I'm sure we'll need more after you spilled a whole _spec_ of it on your shirt.” he retorted flatly before stepping around the other man to head into the back, ignoring his protests.

Yuya walked into the cool back room and down the rows of shelves to find the one that held the syrups.

Somehow they had survived exam season and now the shop was quiet while students, presumably, were attempting to catch up on all their lost sleep. Being theatre students, he and Sawatari had had less exam stress than most, which... also meant they had been given the majority of the shifts.

Yuya took the bottle off the shelf and started heading back to the front, knowing he shouldn't linger too long, lest Sawatari get a line of at least 2 people and bemoan Yuya leaving him all alone to suffer.

Honestly though... as tiring as it could be, Yuya didn't actually mind working at the coffee shop. They got free drinks and the pay was good enough. And... even if he was a pain sometimes, Yuya was relieved to have his friend working there with him.

And some customers could be pretty nice! He'd even been tipped a few times. Sure, there were some rough, picky customers, but some of the nicer ones made up for it.

Which reminded him... it'd been since mid-exam season since he'd last seen...

He gasped. “Yuto!”

Yuya had emerged from the back to see the same man he'd just been thinking of standing at the counter with a rather bored looking Sawatari in front of him at the til.

He quickly set the bottle down and bounced over to the counter. “Hey, I got this one.” he told Sawatari quickly, then looked at Yuto, a bright smile on his face. “Hi! It's been a while!” he beamed, maybe a little too eagerly.

Both Sawatari and Yuto seemed somewhat stunned, though Sawatari just gave him a strange look before turning away from the til. “Sure, knock yourself out. I'm going on break then.” he decided, heading off without another word.

Yuya might have pointed out that Sawatari had just come _back_ from a break not half an hour ago, but right then, he didn't care.

“Ah. You... remembered me.” Yuto replied somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yuya giggled, “Well it's not every day someone asks for _my_ name at work. Sorta stood out to me.” he grinned.

Yuto's face seemed to flush up the same adorable pink that it had the other day and he looked down at the counter with an embarrassed smile. “Ahh... yeah... sorry, I uhh... hadn't really slept. I'm a med student, so exams are... kinda tough.”

Yuya shrugged. “It's okay! I hadn't laughed all day, so it really broke me out of the bad mood I was in,” he encouraged. “Oh! What can I get you anyway?” he asked, picking up a cup and a sharpie.

“Ah, a medium coffee with one milk please,” he ordered, watching as Yuya scribbled on the cup.

“Got it!” he smiled brightly, getting to it. “So a med student, huh? That _does_ sound tough! You'd need to take a whole buncha science classes for that, right?” he asked as he poured the coffee.

Yuto nodded. “Yes, well... it is pretty tough, but... I just... want to be able to help people. To... be able to relieve them of pain or to save someone from the sorrow of losing a loved one... That seems like a very powerful and wonderful thing. So it just kind of felt like the right direction for me. Even if it's tough, I think in the end, it'll be worth it.” he explained sincerely, a soft smile on his lips to match.

“I think... even if I end up just working in a clinic, I'd be happy with that. After all, now matter how big or small it is, I could still make some kind of difference to someone.”

Yuya peeked up at him, finding himself rather endeared by Yuto's words and his sweet expression. “That's... amazing, Yuto! You have such big goals! I don't think I'd be able to handle all that work,” Yuya pondered as he set Yuto's cup on the counter. “I get so bored in science and math classes like that... I just want to have fun.” he explained.

Yuto chuckled. “Well, I suppose it's not for everyone,” he allowed, taking the cup. “So then... what are you taking here?” he asked somewhat timidly.

The entertainer beamed, his face lighting up. “I'm in theatre. I love being on the big stage! It's so fun being able to throw yourself into a story and have the ability to make your audience laugh or cry. Though I'll admit, I think I like it when they smile best,” he grinned.

“Actually, that's why Sawatari and I are even working here,” he continued, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder towards the door where his coworker had disappeared behind earlier.

“We're trying to help earn money to get new props and equipment for our department. Sawatari's rich, so he was expecting his dad to just pay for it all, but boy was he shocked when he told him that he talked to our teacher and they decided it was best for him to get a job,” Yuya laughed.

Yuto grinned and shook his head. “Well, he did seem pretty unimpressed when I got here,” he mused. “Grumbling about a ruined... something?”

Yuya laughed. “Yup, that's him. He's not having the best day,” he grinned, rolling his eyes.

The chime from the door rung and a group of 4 students came into the coffee shop, immediately disheartening Yuya. “Oh, I... guess I should get back to work...”

Yuto looked at the crowd, then back at Yuya. “Oh... yes, of course.” He wasn't sure, but Yuto almost seemed... disappointed...?

He set a couple bills on the counter. “Bye, Yuya. Thanks for the coffee,” he raised his cup, suddenly spotting the crudely drawing of a stethoscope on the side as he did so. He grinned. “And for the drawing. It's cute,” he added in. “Good luck.”

Yuya beamed. “Thanks! Bye Yuto! Come again! If you liked it, I'll draw more next time too,” he urged him before trotting over to the til again to help the incoming customers.

“Well I'll certainly have to then, won't I?” Yuto assured him with a smile as he turned and headed out of the shop once more.  
  


* * *

 

Yuto was as good as his word. He'd come in several times in the next few weeks after that, Yuya happily chatting to him about this or that. Each time he learned something new... They were the same age, though grew up in different cities. Yuto had a best friend named Shun who was rough around the edges, but a softy on the inside who had come to school here with him. Yuto liked cats, but he enjoyed the company of dogs as well.

It was all just simple things, but for whatever reason, Yuya still felt his heart flutter whenever Yuto entered the shop and flashed that warm smile of his in his direction. It had become Yuya's new favorite thing.

That afternoon, Yuya was sprawled on one of the arm chairs in the lounge area of the shop, texting Yuzu and browsing Instagram. He'd just finished his shift and Yuzu had wanted to meet up with him afterwards to hang out and, regrettably, work on homework together. She was a bit of a slave driver, but she kept him on task better than anyone else he knew so, in a way, she was kind of doing him a favor. Not that he would admit that.

Of course... right _then_ she was late. Uncharacteristic of her, but given that the reasoning was because her dad had been non-stop stalling her on what was _supposed_ to be a short visit, he kind of understood.

To some degree, he didn't mind. He was tired from work and the chair was comfy. The shop was full of calm chatter and the faint sound of music playing in the background, making it very easy for him to tune out.

He shut his eyes for a moment. He wondered if Yuto ever needed someone to keep him on task...

...No... he got the feeling that he did a perfectly good job of that himself. He seemed more like the task keeper-oner really. That thought made him grin.

Yuya had almost fallen asleep again when he was jolted awake by his phone buzzing with a new text.

_'Sorry, Yuya!! Can you come meet me instead? It'd be faster than me coming to get you at this rate.'_

Yuya replied a with quick, ' _On my way! Be there in a flash! ;p'_ before hopping up from the chair. Wanting to be true to his word, Yuya jogged towards the exit.

Suddenly, he felt his whole body lurch forward, his footing for whatever reason much more slippery than he anticipated.

Yuya yelped and shut his eyes tight, readying his hands for the...

Soft... impact...?

The barista had fallen against something that certainly felt nothing like the hard floor. Something soft and warm He felt strong arms lock securely around his waist to keep him up. What was this sudden feeling of safety...?

“A-Ahh...” he heard a sort of groan and a slightly strained voice, “Are... are you okay, Yuya...?

Yuya opened his eyes, looking up into the somewhat pained expression of his savior.

“Yuto!” he gasped, feeling his heart beat speed up to a million miles a second. “W-Wow, thank you... That was a nice save! I--”

But wait... why did he look so...?

His eyes soon fell on the cup that Yuto was holding away from his body, noticing red skin and brown liquid dripping from it.

In an instant, Yuya jumped to his feet. “Oh my gosh, Yuto!! Your hand!!” he took the cup from Yuto's slowly reddening hand, setting it down on a nearby surface before taking his uninjured hand. “Come with me!!” he urged him, tugging him towards the counter before Yuto could protest, feeling him stumble a bit behind him.

Yuya let go of Yuto's hand and vaulted himself over the counter, turning to the sink and running cold water. “Quick, put it under here!” he pressed, grabbing Yuto's wrist and pulling his hand over the counter under the stream.

“This should help. Ahhh, Yuto, I'm so sorry! If you hadn't caught me like that, then this wouldn't have happened... I should have been paying more attention to where I was going.”

“Oh... Well... to me it's okay like this...”

Yuya finally looked up at him, rather puzzled by that response. “You're... okay being burned?” he questioned.

Yuto seemed a little stunned and Yuya watched as his face turned even more red than his hand was. “N-No, that's not what I meant, I just...”

The other male looked away from Yuya, scratching his cheek, embarrassment clear in his expression.

“I mean that... E-Even if I got burned... I'm just... relieved I was there to catch you. ...Because of that, you didn't get hurt, so it... was worth it.” he explained, a strange mix of shyness and confidence in his words.

Yuya felt his heart skip a beat and his cheeks flush red, his eyes dropping to the hand he was still holding under the cold, rushing water. “Yuto...”

Suddenly, it felt like the world had stopped and there was no one else in this moment but them. What was this feeling? His heart was beating so loudly... Could Yuto hear it? He felt so nervous but also... happy...~

Actually... he supposed he'd felt this a lot lately... Being around Yuto always made him both nervous and happy. He was so excited whenever he came in and so eager to hear anything and everything he had to say. Even if it was about some science related thing he was working on in class that Yuya had absolutely no grasp of, he hung off his every word. He could listen to anything if it was in that smooth, melodic voice of his...

...Hold on... was this a normal feeling to be having for a loyal customer...?

“Yuya.”

Yuya jolted, his eyes snapped up to Yuto's immediately. “Y-Yes!?”

“I... I appreciate your dedication, but... is your hand not cold holding mine under the water like that? It's starting to turn as red as mine...” he pointed out, concern in his tone.

Yuya gasped, then let go of Yuto's hand, quickly shutting off the tap. “Oh!! You're right! Jeez, I can't even feel it now. Ha, ha, silly me! I guess I spaced out a little~ My bad!” he attempted to laugh it off as he shook out his freezing hand.

Ahh, _stupid_!! He had to pay attention! Oh, but his heart was pounding so loudly in his ears...

“Let me help.”

Yuya nearly jumped when he felt Yuto's warm hand take his cold one. Yuto brought it closer to him, softly blowing warm air onto it.

Yuya felt like he was going to have a heart attack if this kept up, but all the same, he couldn't say he felt any desire for it to stop. But why? This should be weird, yet somehow Yuya found it incredibly attractive.

...Attractive...

...Oh. So that's what this was.

“H-Hey... Yuto... I—”

“Yuya!!”

This time he did jump as Sawatari appeared behind him, hands on his hips.

“Aren't you _off_? What the hell are you doing back he—”

And then he stopped too, taking in the scene before him.

Yuya whipped his hand back, feelings his cheeks heat up to a million degrees. “Th-This isn't what it looks like! Yuto burned his hand and I was just trying to help, but then my hand got cold under the water, so he was just trying to—”

“Why was _your_ hand under the water?”

“I—” ..Yuya wish he had a good answer for that.

Yuto sheepishly put his hands in his pockets. “Thank you for helping me with my burn, Yuya. I'll come back again another time.” he cut in his own cheeks rather red from embarrassment too.

Yuya gasped, “No wait!” he exclaimed, practically leaping across the counter to grab Yuto's sleeve before he could leave.

“Let me... at least replace the coffee you spilled!”

Yuto was a little shocked. “Oh... um... you really don't have to, Yuya.”

“Yuya, you're not even on _shift_ right now! You shouldn't be making _anyone_ coffee!” Sawatari pointed out.

“No, I insist!” he urged, then looked at his coworker. “I'll be quick, okay? Real quick!”

Yuto seemed to relax, giving him a soft smile and a little nod in agreement and with that, Yuya rushed over to grab one of the cups, ignoring Sawatari's last ditch complaint before he too gave up.

He picked up the sharpie, writing quickly on it.

'Thank you so much!! My hero!! You're the best!!'

Yuya almost set the sharpie down before hesitating a moment, reconsidering and soon surrounding the message with hearts.

The young barista moved quickly to the coffee machine to fill the cup and soon after added the milk. He returned the counter, sliding it across to Yuto. “Thank you for waiting~” he smiled.

Yuto nodded, then picked up the cup. He was quick to notice the words, a warm smile spread across those soft lips of his that Yuya was starting to pay much more attention to than he probably should have been.

“Any time, Yuya,” he noted softly before he turned to go.

Yuya watched him, even after he'd disappeared from sight in a bit of a daze. He placed a hand over his heart. He liked Yuto. He _really_ liked him. There was absolutely no denying that. His caring personality, his gorgeous features, that warm smile... Just thinking about it was making his heart race.   
  
He'd tell him. For sure, he'd tell him the next time he saw him!   
  
His eyes drifted to the calendar on the wall beside the door to the backroom and, in particular, the date Sawatari had circled to indicate their last day.  
  
He bit his lip. It was only 5 days from now and Yuto didn't come in every day... It would have to be next time or he might risk not at all...  
  
  


* * *

 

Yuya was slumped over the small table in the back room dedicated for their breaks a few days later, his eyes shut as he tried to regain some of his energy. Today had been so busy, though... he had to admit, his thoughts were still on Yuto... When would he see him again...? Soon he hoped... He wondered if his burn had healed by now... He was a med student, so maybe he knew special ways to help heal that kind of thing faster. Plus he was really smart too.

“Yuto...” he mumbled to himself almost dreamily. He was completely love struck. He had admitted that to himself now and every day that passed that he didn't see Yuto, he felt it so much more. He longed to see him... He wondered if Yuto felt the same way...

He sighed. Tomorrow was his last day working there... He was so quickly running out of time to tell him how he felt... How could it have been 3-months already?

Yuya's phone started to beep, indicating to him the end of his break. He groaned and pressed the button on his screen to stop it, soon dragging himself back onto his tired feet and towards the front again to get back to work. He supposed he'd think about this later.

“I'm back...”

Sawatari looked at him, “Oh. There you are. Your boyfriend was here.”

Yuya froze, taking a moment to process that before he darted to the counter.

“Yuto!?”

“ _Was_ here I said,” Sawatari corrected, then placed his hands on his hips, “Also, I _knew_ you liked him. You know, for an actor, your poker face kind of sucks,” he scoffed. “I can always give you some pointers if you need them,” he smirked.

Yuya blushed, turning back to look at Sawatari, his cheek puffed out with a pout. “Y-Yeah... well...” he didn't really have a retort for that.

The red-head let out a long sigh, slumping over the counter, “Fine, I do! I like him _so_ much, I can barely stand it!” he admitted. “But it doesn't matter now... That was my last chance to tell him how I felt and I blew it by being on my break at the wrong time...” he mumbled, thoroughly disheartened.

Sawatari beamed, standing taller than normal. “No need to worry about missed connections, Yuya! I, the great,wonderful, _marvelous_ Sawatari Shingo, have got you covered!”

Yuya looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. “...Just what does _that_ mean...?” he asked, suddenly cautious.

He smirked. “When he got his coffee, I wrote your number on the side of the cup.”

Yuya was in shock. “Sa... Sawatari...”

He leapt at the other male, pulling him into a tight embrace. “You're a genius!!”

Of course! His phone number!! Why hadn't he thought of that!?

Sawatari laughed, patting Yuya on the back. “ _Finally_ you're beginning to recognize my many talents! Took you a while, but I can't fault you for being slow. After all, not everyone may be graced with the intelligence that I have,” he gloated.

This time Yuya decided to let him, indulging him for the rest of his shift. Just this once.

 

* * *

 

On his way home that evening, Yuya checked his phone for the millionth time, double checking once more that he had his sound on and volume up all the way.

Still nothing... Yuya was starting to realize the flaw in this plan. The fact that Yuto had his number... didn't mean he had Yuto's... He was completely at the mercy of whether or not Yuto even _wanted_ to text him...

He sighed put his phone into his pocket, looking up at the sky, the stars just starting to come out. He wondered if Yuto was looking at them where ever he was... Maybe he was out with Shun or... holed up in this room studying for some big test. He smiled a bit thinking about it.

Yuya got home just in time for dinner that evening, eating his mother's delicious cooking and helping her wash up before he rushed upstairs, taking a shower, then going over his monologue that he had to present next class. He pretty much had it down, but there was no reason not to go over it again.

Especially when... he was in desperate need of a distraction.

...Which... sort of worked... he still kept his phone on his desk where he could see it at all times...

Time passed in what felt like both slowly and quickly and eventually it was time for bed. Yuya got changed, then picked up his phone to check it one last time.

He sighed. Still nothing... Maybe it... just wasn't meant to be. Maybe they really were nothing more than barista and loyal customer.

Yuya picked up his charge cable and tilted his phone, about to plug it in when it went off. Yuya dropped it from shock before very quickly scooping it up again, his heart racing as he unlocked the screen, opening the message from the new number.

' _Hi. This is Yuto from the cafe.'_

_'Well, not_ from _the cafe I suppose. It's you that works there after all, not me.'_

Yuya giggled, smiling so widely it hurt a little. Yuto was so cute~ Quickly he made sure to add him to his contacts, unable to help himself from putting a little heart beside his name.

_'Your coworker gave me your number. I hope that's okay.'_

_'hi yuto!! :D_ '

' _ya he told me he did that. u took so long though I thought u weren't gonna text! haha_ '

Yuya mentally slapped himself. Idiot, why did he say _that_!? He wished there was some way to delete texts from _other_ people's phones.

His phone chimed again.

' _I'm sorry. I did want to earlier, I just wasn't sure what to say.'_

_'And... I may have been a little nervous too. It's not as though you gave me your number yourself after all. I wasn't sure if I should. I'm sorry.'_

Yuya relaxed a bit at that. Yuto... So he was nervous too?

He started typing again, ' _its ok yuto! Im just_ — _'_

Before he was able to finish his text, another one popped onto his screen.

' _Tomorrow is your last day working at the cafe, is that right?'_

Yuya blinked. He remembered that? Right to the last day?

' _yup, just tomorrow and Im free! haha XD'_

There was a pause, so Yuya took the opportunity to get into bed, snuggling comfortably under the covers just in time for his phone time chime once more.

' _Yuya, what time are you off work tomorrow?'_

Yuya felt his heart beat faster and his excitement messily spilling out into his next text.

' _7! why? are u going to ask me out? ;9'_

Yuya stopped.

...Did he just?

“Ah... AHHHH!!” he screamed, quickly dropping his phone and covering his head with his blanket.

What did he just do!? That wasn't what he was supposed to say!! Way to play it cool, Yuya!!

There was a pause even longer than the last one this time and Yuya peeked cautiously out from the covers, staring intently at his very still phone resting on his mattress.

He wasn't saying anything now. Why wasn't he saying anything!? The anticipation was killing him!!

Not able to wait any longer, Yuya grabbed the phone, quickly starting on a damage control text. ' _Haha, jk!! XD what did u_ — _'_

Yuya stopped when he saw a new message appear, his heart stopping along with him.

' _Would you be comfortable with it I showed up after your shift to see you?'_

Yuya quickly deleted his current text.

' _sure!! see u then!!'_

The reply was much quicker this time.

' _See you then. Good night, Yuya._ '

Yuya swallowed, staring at his phone for a long time even after the screen had turned off. Somehow he'd managed to get through that... Someone really must like him up there.

' _good night yuto!_ ' he texted before leaning over the edge of his bed to plug in his phone, soon rolling back over to go to sleep.

Tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

 

* * *

 

Yuya was in a daze the whole next day and for once, Yuya had been _excited_ to go to work. But... mostly so he could get it over with. He knew for sure Yuto wouldn't be visiting him during the day, but after...

He wondered what Yuto wanted to do... though really, he wasn't sure that he cared. As long as he got to do it with Yuto, then he was happy.

“Have a nice day~” Yuya said dreamily to his customer, earning a strange look before the left the establishment.

“So what is it anyway, a date?” Sawatari asked now that the rush had died down.

“Well... I don't think so. He just wanted to meet up with me after work,” Yuya explained, looking at his coworker.

“And then he's going to ask you out?”

Yuya blushed, “I-I don't know, he didn't say anything about that.”

“So then are you going to ask _him_ out?”

Yuya stopped. Oh right. That had been his plan all along hadn't it? He was going to confess and ask Yuto out.

He felt a sudden rush of nerves. Should he still do that...? That was his decision before they acquired each other's numbers and there was less potential for them to see each other after Yuya's temporary contract ended.

“I... I'm not sure... I don't know if I should risk it...” he bit his lip.

Sawatari scoffed. “You've _got_ to be kidding me. Don't be such a coward! The Yuya I know is _much_ braver than this. Where'd all your courage and your usual bravado go?”

Yuya fidgeted, tearing up a discarded straw wrapper nervously. “I-It's not that simple!”

“Why not!?” Sawatari gave a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples. “Listen, Yuya. I've seen you take plenty _worse_ risks than this with a confident smirk on your face. That's just part of who you are! And besides, you've been handing this gold opportunity on a silver platter. Don't miss your chance.” he warned him.

Yuya paused, then nodded, giving a soft smile. “...Thanks, Sawatari...~ You're right!” he agreed a little more confidently.

As if on cue, the bell on the front door chimed, making them both jump.

Yuto walked in, looking even more handsome than usual as he approached the front.

“Yuto! You're early!” Yuya exclaimed, though his eyes sparkled with excitement.

The med student hesitated. “Well... I suppose so. But only by a few minutes. I... felt it was better than risking being late...” he explained, then he got a bit of a grin.

“That's... quite the look you're sporting today.” he noted.

Yuya raised a brow, “Huh? What do you--?” It was then that he caught his reflection in one of the silver serving trays on the counter.

His hair was sticking up in all different directions, likely from a mix of all the running around he'd done that day along with all the running his fingers through his hair nervously. His cheeks had splatters of chocolate sauce and a bit of caramel and the front of his apron was covered in powdered sugar.

Yuya blinked, then cracked up into a flurry of giggles, hugging his stomach. “Wow, you're right!” he exclaimed, feeling all of his prior tension disappearing. “Like some kind of coffee related bomb went off.”

Yuto chuckled a little too, though his eyes were full of endearment. And seeing that soft look, Yuya had to think... Sawatari was right. This really was a golden opportunity handed to him on a silver platter. Just not quite in the way that he probably meant.

Yuya looked up at the clock, noticing it had _finally_ reached 7:00pm. “Ah, I'll be right back, okay! I'm just going to change!” he noted before quickly disappearing into the back.

He wasted no time in ditching his apron and getting his bag out of his locker. He ducked into the bathroom quickly to fix his hair and clean his face, checking himself over one more time.

He took a deep breath, then slapped both his cheeks. “Okay! You can do this!” he urged himself, then turned to head back out, surprised to see Yuto no longer there.

“He's waiting outside.” Sawatari noted before Yuya had the chance to worry.

He placed a hand on his shoulder. “And remember. If you start dating, you only have _me_ to thank.”

Yuya grinned and rolled his eyes, his cheeks still flushed at the idea of dating Yuto regardless. “I'll remember that,” he allowed with a flatness to his tone.

Yuya stepped out into the cool night air, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. “Ah, freedom!” he exclaimed, raising his arms to the sky.

He heard a familiar chuckle as Yuto stepped closer to him. “Congratulations. You worked hard for this day.” he noted to him. “Would you... like to take a little walk around campus with me?” he finally asked, a bit of nerves in his voice.

Yuya nodded. “Yeah! Absolutely!” he agreed, soon following Yuto down the path and away from the cafe.

They were quiet for a bit, walking in peace. Strangely, Yuya didn't find any discomfort in it like he might have thought. He looked up at the stars, marveling in that... he got to walk side-by-side with Yuto to look at them together. Something about that made them all the more beautiful. Or at least he thought so.

“...You know...” Yuto began after a while. “I've thought a lot about this day... Your... last day at the cafe I mean,”

Yuya grinned. “Me too, but probably for different reasons.” Then he paused. “...But what... _are_ your reasons...?”

Yuto blushed. “Well just that... I was... worried. You see, I rather like talking with you, Yuya... I wasn't ready for it to end so soon. So when your coworker gave me your number...”

He shook his head and gave a little laugh. “Actually, when he did that, I felt like a fool. I should have asked you for it myself. I'm sorry about that.”

Yuya giggled. “Don't worry, I had the same thought when he told me. You'd think with how attached this generation is to their phones that _one of us_ would have remembered.”

Yuto smiled, looking down at his feet for a moment as they walked. “...But I think that's it. ...When I'm with you, Yuya... I don't think about anything else. Just you.”

Yuya felt his heart start to melt. “Me too, Yuto...”

“It's... different with you. Special. _You're_ special.” he continued, “And I—” he stopped talking when he looked at Yuya again, “Hold on.” he stopped Yuya.

“Wh-What is it?”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, sorry, I just... I think you still have a bit of chocolate on your cheek.” he noted before pulling his bag in front of him so he could dig through it. “Hold on, let me see, I think I might have...” he mumbled before producing a individually wrapped towelette from his bag. “Ah, here we go.”

He tore it open, then gently took Yuya's chin, turning his head slightly so he could wipe it off.

The softness and care in his eyes and the warm smile that still played across his lips while he did such a simple, yet sweet task, Yuya felt like he couldn't take it any more.

Yuto released his chin. “There, I think that—”

“Please go out with me!” he blurted.

Yuto's eyes widened and he dropped the wipe, his face slowly turning red.

“I just— Yuto, all this time we've spent together, you're right, it _has_ been special. _Very_ special. So much so that I think I... I think I might have fallen for you. S-So...!”

“Yes.”

“Huh?”

Yuto giggled a bit. “Yes, Yuya, I will go out with you.”

“You—!!”

Yuto ran a hand through his bangs, “Boy, that surprised me though! I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you for so long now and then you just— A-And when you said that last night too I—“ he had to laugh.

Yuya laughed too, stepping closer to capture him in a hug. “Oh my god, I was so frazzled texting you last night, you have no idea!”

Yuto wrapped his arms around Yuya as well. “Probably not as frazzled as I was the whole day just trying to text you,” and they both laughed all the tension and the nerves from the situation completely melting away, leaving nothing by the sound of their laughter and the warmth of their bodies held together.

Gently, Yuto rested his forehead against Yuya's shutting his eyes. “Yuya...” he began. “Being with you all this time... It's the happiest I've ever been. ...To be honest, I... don't even drink that much coffee. I was always just... looking for excuses to come see you.”

“Yuto...”

“So yes... With my whole heart, yes I will go out with you. So... so very happily, I will,” he gave him a warm smile which Yuya was quick to return.

Yuya then cupped his cheeks, leaning in and pressing his lips to Yuto's like he'd been dreaming of, feeling him return it eagerly.

He couldn't have imagined when he started this job that he would find someone as amazing as Yuto, but he had and now here they were... sealing it with a kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This took me so long and I kept writing things and rewriting things, but finally it's here! I hope you enjoyed it! Comments are always very much appreciated. uvu


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